Paper Moons
by Wolfpackg
Summary: Emiliana was always searching for something or someone as unique as she was and when she finally found it, it was nothing that she had ever expected.
1. Suspicion

**This chapter is slow but it introduces the main character Emliana 'Emily' Gerrack.**

**~~~ Emily's POV**

Humans often have a feeling of invincibility or immortality, but where does that root from? The longevity of the human race? Or perhaps there is something else..

There is no such thing as a normal life, only a life not lived extraordinarily. At one time in my life, I was living "normally". I mean, don't interpret that as me saying that I was "Susie High School". Like numerous people in the world, I was never in that "In-Crowd. But that line has been written more times than I can count. I was not invisible though; I discovered my gifts early on and basked in light that they brought me. I have always been a thinker and most definitely a dreamer. I was a rebel in my own way, but it was indeed subtle.

Like all human beings, my soul searched for something, but perhaps what I was searching for was not quite so cliché. I've never really yearned for the big car and corporate job… I guess I am not really the materialistic type. Anyways, fulfillment was nowhere to be found, (but bear in mind that was only 19 at the time), even in the big city that I lived in.

Many a times, I had these feeling that every day I was just going through the motions. Some people would call that depression, but I think it is being stuck. I am writer, an artist… change is vital to my existence. Little did I know that a tremendous change was coming…

Term had finally ended, and I was all too ready to toss my ridiculously large textbooks aside. I was ready to relax and more importantly, get a bit of writing done. Most of my friends were going off to be camp counselors and missionaries, but though I loved children, I needed space from the rest of the world.

I was not planning to sit around all summer. I was going to visit my friend Antoinette in Texas... Dallas to be exact. I met Antoinette in my public speaking class and we soon became friends. She moved back home the following summer and ever since had been insisting that I come to visit. So I finally gave in and soon enough I was on a plane to Dallas.

When I finally arrived, Antoinette was there waiting for me, with her bright red hair and Southern belle demeanor. What I thought was odd was that she came alone. This was because right after she moved back she had met someone and since then, she had talked about him non-stop. His name was Anders and according to her, he was "quite the charmer". But I brushed off any suspicion by just telling myself that he was probably at work.

Antoinette squealed with delight when she finally spotted me and immediately grabbed the bags out of my hand. In the car, she peppered me with questions about back home in San Diego and if there were any new men in my life. Finally we arrived at her family's house, and she was overjoyed that I was finally going to meet her family. I had this unrealistic idea of what her family would be like. It seemed as if it came straight out of _Good Housekeeping_. But I was utterly surprised when I actually met them.

I walked into the two-story salmon colored stucco house and found no one close by to greet us. She soon herded me down the hallway and there we found her dad, who was in the kitchen preparing dinner, while the mom was lounging on the couch watching some reruns of 'Golden Girls'.Her dad came over and gave me a bear hug and welcomed me to their home. Her mother was a bit less welcoming. She just looked over the couch, gave me a half smile and went back to what she was doing. As usual Antoinette acted like nothing had happened and just kept on smiling.

Her mom was odd, but so was her dad, They were polar opposites in that the father was very perky( a little too perky) and the mom was much more subdued. I just put it in the back of mind(which was unusual for me) because I knew that Antoinette would never open about it.

Upstairs, in her room, I looked around for pictures of Anders, but found nothing. I finally asked why I had not met Anders yet and why she had no photographs of him. She calmly informed me that I was going to meet him that evening and that he just did not like to have his picture taken. Her answer to my question about the photos of him was perfectly logical but for some reason I still could not let it go….


	2. Tru cocktails

.

Evening came soon enough and I was all too ready to meet the enigmatic Anders. Dinner was awkward enough in that her dad would not stop talking about the church he attended and to be honest, I just tuned him after a while. (Later I would regret this) Her mother did not speak the whole time.

What was very peculiar was that Antoinette was a Christian girl, but she had this blank look on her face as her dad went on and on about a church. My instincts told me that her demure look was an attempt to hide something and my instincts never failed me.

Antoinette told me to dress up a bit because apparently we were meeting Anders at party. I rolled my eyes at first because usually a part meant kegs of beer and girls taking their tops off.

She instantly reassured me that it was not that kind of party. In the car, Antoinette seemed a bit nervous and I began to believe that there was something she was not telling me.

We drove to the outskirts of Dallas, and finally stopped in front of a very large house. I asked Antoinette who the house belonged to and all she said was that it belonged to a friend of Anders. Half-way to the door, a man came running out of the house towards us. I guessed that it was Anders and it indeed was. Anders was average height with brown hair and brown eyes, but there was something about him that was different.

Right away I knew what it was. He was a vampire, and I was honestly a bit shocked! But that was because I just never imagined Antoinette with a vampire.

He was very friendly and he shook my hand as we were being introduced. As Anders led the way into the house, Antoinette gave me a look of encouragement and then took the lead along with Anders.

I began to wonder if it was a vampire party, and I was a tad bit nervous about it. For the record, I had met vampires before, and was not afraid of them nor did I hold any prejudice towards them. But I had just never really spent a lot of time around them.

One of the large doors was already open and Anders stepped aside, allowing us to go first. I stepped inside and found a house full of people. There seemed to be more vampires than humans, but not by much.

It was all just casual conversation and lots of laughter. It was nothing like what the media played it out to be. There was no blood orgies or human sacrifices. Everyone was just having a good time sipping Tru Blood and cocktails.

Anders and Antoinette made sure that I circulated the room. Anders introduced to me a few of his friends. We finally ended up in the living room amongst a small group of people who were discussing something that seemed quite important.

Anders found room for us on a couch and we sat down eager to find out what was going on. Almost of all of the people in the group were vampires and it was fitting because the conversation was about why humans truly feared vampires.

Right away I noticed that whole conversation seemed to revolve around a boy who looked like he could be no older than fourteen or fifteen. His demeanor did not match his appearance. He spoke as if he had lived for many, many years and his eyes portrayed him as wise. One could not help but listen.

He spoke of how their immense strength and thirst for blood was indeed intimidating, but that perhaps there was something more. Everyone in the circle just sat there, not saying a word. I finally got the courage to speak up.


	3. Aged Wisdom

As soon as a sound came out of my mouth, all eyes turned to me. I got this feeling from some, that I just should not have been speaking, but I went on anyway. I spoke about how perhaps humans were intimidated by the fact that vampires were immortal. Death was the one thing that humans feared the most and vampires rarely had to deal with such an uncertainty as death. Vampires lacked the same inevitableness that humans had.

The wise boy looked at me with appreciation then turned to the group. He announced to them that my answer was the type of answer he was looking for. He told us that in his two-thousand years of life, the abstract answer was never quite easy to find.

Soon the circle started to disintegrate, and there were only a few of us left. Anders stood in front of the boy and addressed him with great respect. I soon got this feeling that perhaps he was important besides the fact that he had lived for two thousand years. Anders soon signaled for Antoinette and I to come over.

Obviously Antoinette had met him before because he had greeted her by name. Anders introduced me to him and I finally found out his name, Godric. Upon meeting him, I noticed how reserved he was, but perhaps if one just listened to his calm, yet tense voice, one would be able to come to such a conclusion as well.

He was indeed holding something back and his face was of a person who had carried a great burden. He puzzled me at first, but then I pondered the fact that he had lived for two thousand years. Imagine living that long and just having to live life on the sidelines. He watched the whole world change, but yet he remained the same. Evolution is a fact of life, and so really, he was not living at all.

By the way he was looking at me, I knew he could tell that I was attempting to analyze him. He was neither upset nor annoyed because he was doing the same to me. He told me that my answer to his question earlier was impressive and he asked if I would like to discuss the subject further. I graciously accepted, and sat down to talk. We talked about a vast amount of subjects, which we varied on opinion-wise, but he seemed to appreciate my views. We discussed until the party was finally over and Antoinette was ready to go home.

Before I left, Godric asked me how long I would be staying, and he was pleased to hear that was going to be in Dallas for a little over 3 weeks. He then insisted that I come to another one of the gatherings

On the way home, I asked Antoinette to tell me everything that she knew about Godric. All she knew was that he was the vampire sheriff of Dallas.

I was curious about Godric, he was not just any vampire…


	4. The first glimpse of the Sun

That following morning, I woke up fairly early and found Antoinette still sleeping. I checked my phone and realized that it was Sunday. Why was Antoinette not already awake and getting ready for church? I recalled her as being an avid churchgoer….So I knew something was going on. I went downstairs and found Antoinette's dad drinking his morning coffee. Oddly enough, he was in his church suit and seemed like he was on his way out the door. He greeted me warmly and I asked him if he was off to church.

He eagerly answered yes and told me that he was going to the church he had mentioned before. Apparently it was called "The Fellowship of the Sun". I had never heard of it before, so at that moment, I did not mean much to me.

Soon after her father left, Antoinette came downstairs and volunteered to make breakfast. As she did so, she attempted to carry on a normal, light-hearted conversation, but she soon realized that I had questions. She paused and allowed me to ask her why she did not go to church. She told me that it was quite a long story and that it would all be explained that night. I immediately inquired about what are plans for that night were.

She simply answered that I was finally going to meet her brother Benjamin.

We went shopping for the rest of the day, but I just could not get Antoinette's cryptic answers out of my head. What did her brother have to do with her not going to church anymore? A long story? Something was indeed going on and apparently I was soon going to find out.

I watched the clock until it was finally time to depart for Benjamin's house or apartment I should say. His apartment was located in a gorgeous high-rise that was directly in the middle of Dallas. In the elevator, Antoinette informed me that Benjamin was married and his wife's name was Opal,

Finally we reached their floor, and we walked down a long hallway, with sparkling marble floors. We arrived at the door and before Antoinette could even knock, the door opened. Standing before us was a tall, red-headed vampire.

Antoinette ran into his arms and I knew that had to be Benjamin. After a lengthy hug, she introduced me and he signaled for us to come in. The inside of the apartment was decorated in a very classic style and it was put together so carefully. Soon a small, blonde woman came strolling out of the kitchen area and she too was a vampire. Antoinette introduced her as Opal and when she spoke, I heard a bit of a British accent. The whole thing about her brother being a vampire was a big surprise, but it still did not explain anything.

During dinner, I asked Opal about the accent and she said that she had grown up in Britain. She was very young –looking; She could not have been older than 20 when she was turned. Opal went on to talk about her story. She was turned in 1926 and it was by choice. Apparently vampires were actually quite fashionable during that era. Benjamin explained that he fell in love with Opal and had her turn him.

'

Antoinette turned to me and started to explain the connection between church and her brother being a vampire.

First she told me of how their dad disowned Benjamin after he became a vampire and then how he joined The Fellowship of the Sun church. It was then that I learned about the church's anti-vampire ideals and their plans to do away with them. Benjamin explained to me that their dad joined the church because he was angry at the vampires because he believed that they took away his son. It finally made sense why Antoinette did not go to church with her father. What kind of person would go to an anti-vampire church when your boyfriend and your brother are both vampires? That also explained the mother; She hated her husband for turning his back on their only son and then joining that church.

As we were leaving, Opal informed us that there was going to be another gathering at Godric's lair the next night.


	5. Paper moons

The next day was not so awkward at Antoinette's house because I finally understood all the things that were going on inside if her family.

. Evening came soon enough and once again we were off to Godric's. Anders met us outside and I felt more at ease at the party, now that I knew a few people. I panned the scene, looking for Godric, just to see him. I soon spotted him conversing with a tall man in a cowboy outfit and a very stern look on his face. Godric soon turned to face the room and made an announcement.

"A vampire and his companion were attacked as they were leaving the gathering. For safety purposes, we will all remain here for the night, and no is to leave until tomorrow."

The room was soon full of people discussing who would do such a thing and about who the victims were. I knew that as sheriff, Godric had to take care of such things, so I decided not to bother him. I just followed Antoinette around most of the night and just went along with the conversations. I eventually grew bored and headed out to the backyard.

It was the perfect temperature and the dry air reminded me of home. I sat down on the brick stairs and I looked up into the sky. There was a bright light on the porch and it was hard to see the stars, so I headed into the copious backyard. About half-way into it, I found the perfect spot to view the sky in. I was wearing jeans, so I did not really care about getting too dirty and so I laid down in the grass.

I had always loved the stars and the timelessness that they symbolized. I thought about when I was a little girl, and I looked up at the night sky, always imagining that it was a giant dome filled with stars. I then thought of Godric and how much he reminded me of the stars, in all their antiquity. I also wondered if the night sky had honestly changed much in two thousand years.

Shortly after, I saw something lurking in the shadows and I called out to them/it.

"Hello? Who's there?"

Out from the shadows came a being, and as it stepped into the moonlight I realized that it was Godric.

"I apologize; I did not mean to disturb you. I come out here often just to pull myself away from the rest of the world. One needs time away from politics and the controversy that comes with it."

"Oh it's alright! I was just admiring the night sky."

Godric walked over and sat down next to me in the grass.

"Yes, it really is quite beautiful. I have always loved its consistency. For close to two thousand years, the stars were always there when I looked up into the night sky. In a way, they have been like companions to me."

His melancholy words sunk into me, yet they did not sadden me.

"When I was a little girl, I thought that the moon was made of paper. I always feared for the moon because I was scared that a comet would crash into it and tear it right in half."

Godric's laugh was light, and restrained, but somehow still quite comforting. He waited for me to speak again.

"I also think of human beings that way… like paper moons. As humans, we often times convey ourselves as vast and somewhat invincible beings, but really, we are so fragile."

After I said this, he looked at me as if he was deciding whether or not I was truly real. As he did this, all I could do was smile at him and again look up at the sky. The silence did not last for very long.

"Emiliana, you are very unique in that you understand things now that most people do not even comprehend in their lifetime. You have a gift and I am honored that you have shared it with me."

All I could do was smile in reply and just then, Godric took my hand, turned it palm-side-up, and lightly kissed it. Before I could even thank him for the compliment, he was already standing up.

"I really should go; I have been gone for quite a while and my security starts to worry if they cannot find me. Are you coming in?"

"No, I need a bit more fresh air."

Godric turned and began to walk away and then something stopped him. He turned around again and asked,

"Do I frighten you?"

I smiled at him and said,

"Of course not."


	6. Saving souls

I did not speak with Godric the rest of the night, and at dawn, most of the humans left, including Antoinette and I. When we arrived at Antoinette's house, we expected to find a quiet house with her parents still asleep, but at times, things are never what you expected them to be.

As we walked through the front door, we found no one, but we heard voices coming from the kitchen. My instincts told me that something was not right and I gave Antoinette a look of suspicion. Unfortunately, there was no way of avoiding the kitchen because the stairs were right beside it. Before we even had a chance to think about leaving, her dad's voice came from down the hall.

"Antoinette, were you out all night? Why don't you come on into the kitchen and we'll talk."

Her dad spoke in his normal cheerful voice but something still did not feel right.

"All right daddy, I'll be in there in a second."

As soon as her dad's head disappeared from the hallway, Antoinette gave me a look of reassurance, handed me her cell phone and her car keys. Then she whispered to me as if she knew her dad was listening.

"Go upstairs and stay there until all these people leave. I've gave you my cell phone because it has Anders and Benjamin's numbers in it. If there is no one up there, I want you to go to the top of the stairs, and I want you to listen to everything that they say. I want you to do this just in case I go somewhere and ya'll will know where to find me."

I was confused and worried by her last statement. I attempted to speak;

"Somewhere…"

She shushed me before I could say anything else and she signaled for us to start walking. When she and I reached the end of the hallway, we found a whole group of what seemed like over-zealous men sitting around the kitchen table. That scene discouraged me even more and as I reached the foot of the stairs, I discreetly grabbed her arm as a last plea for her to get out. She broke free and I swiftly went up the stairs.

When I made it to the top, I was happy to find no one there. Then I just sat and listened. Her dad spoke first

"Sit down honey and meet my friends from over at the church."

When I heard him say the word "church", I cringed.

"This is Roger, he is the head elder and a very good man. Over here we have David, who is Roger's nephew."

It was so difficult for me not to be able to see what was going on, but it would have been much too risky to attempt to look. I heard her dad's slow foot steps on the wood floor and found it to be quite unnerving.

"And this is my very good friend Mike! He is in charge of all the youth programs at the church. Now honey, you are probably wondering why they are all here. You see, we are all _very_ concerned about you.

He paused, but Antoinette did not say a word so he just went on.

"I know where you went last night Antoinette."

His voice then changed from concerned to something much darker.

" You see sweetie, last night a group of us men from the church were out patrolling the the neighborhoods that are infested with vermin. And do you know what I mean by vermin? Vampires. The blood-sucking parasite demons that plague this earth!"

All of the men yelled out, "Amen!"

"So last night we were patrolling the neighborhood where a very important vampire lives. And as we were watching the house of this particular beast, wouldn't you know it…..there is my daughter about to walk into that house. But not only is she walking into that house… she is holding the hand of one of _them_!"

He paused and waited for her to justify her actions or just defend herself, but she did not speak a word. Once again, he just went on talking.

" Well it broke my heart to see my daughter with something that is such an abomination to nature and to God. But I will not loose you like I lost Benjamin. There is hope for you Antoinette."

At that moment, I was indeed sure that nothing good was to come.

"There is a program, started by the church, to help people like you. A program that helps undo all the brainwashing done by those monsters. Mike runs the program and we are here to take you to it."

I held my breath as I waited for Antoinette to speak, and I let out a sigh of relief when I heard the sound of her voice. She calmly spoke;

"I am not going."

"Now darlin', I don't suggest that you put up a fight."

All of a sudden, I could hear all the men getting up out of their chairs. Antoinette had no way out, There was no way I could have done anything and it was light outside, so Anders could not have done anything either. I then heard the voice of a younger man and I assumed it was Mike.

"Antoinette, you'll go there and stay as long as it takes for you to get better. Then you'll get to come back to your _normal_ life."

Another man with an over- zealous tone chimed in,

"We are going to save your soul!"

"Honey, just come with us and free yourself from all the sin…from the demons."

The next thing I heard was the shuffling of feet and the clink of Antoinette's heels on the floor. The sound became muddled as they walked down the hallway and then there was silence.

I sat there at the top of the stairs and just thought about what I was going to do. I could not risk staying, but where was I going to go?

There was really only one place I could go…


	7. Cold Lips do Tell Much

I drove as fast I could to the outskirts of Dallas. I was surprised and all together thankful that I actually remembered how to get there. When I arrived, I looked around for any suspicious people before I even got out of the car.

I practically ran to the door, and still managed to remember my manners. Instead of just walking right in, I rang the door bell, and as expected no one answered. I tried turning the door knob and as luck would have it, the door opened.

I walked inside slowly and found an empty house. I did a quick walk around the main part of the house just to check for any signs of life or unwanted surprises. Still, I found nothing and decided to sit down. I looked at the clocked it was only 9:00 AM; it would be along time until I would see any real movement.

I decided to lay down on one of the couches for a bit. I was woken up by the sound of a cell phone ring. I quickly sat up and followed the sound to my pocket. It was Antoinette's phone and Anders was the one calling.

I picked up the phone and I heard Ander's concerned voice, "Toni, where are you?" I hesitated to answer because I didn't want to be the bearer of bad news, but I knew that I could not help Antoinette without Ander's help.

"Anders, its Emily, Toni isn't with me" and before I could even say anything else, Anders spoke,

"Where is she?? I have been having this awful feeling that something is wrong and that she isn't where is supposed to be."

I bit my lip and did my best to speak,

"Anders, they took her…." I could hear the anger slowly rising from within him as he asked, "Who took her?" I was worried about to telling him anything else in fear that he would do something rash, perhaps tear Toni's father up limb for limb.

"Her father and his friends from the church", I spat out and I then heard the anger rise even further just by the sound of his breathing.

He didn't even bother to ask where they took her, but just demanded to know where I was.

"I am at Godric's nest. It's the only place I thought would be safe at this point." He grunted and replied, "Stay there, I will be with you shortly."

He quickly hung up and I was then able to breathe again. I sat back and pondered my unusual situation.

I told myself _This is crazy, this absolutely and utterly insane._ I soon felt something or someone touch my shoulder. I turned around and there stood Godric, looking quite troubled yet still seemed quite glad to see me. Before I even had a chance to speak, he sat down next to me,

"I am glad to see that you came here. It shows me that you trust me…I mean us and that you feel safe here.

Many people fear being preyed on at moment while they are here. But something has been telling me from our first discussion that you indeed are not most people."

I

was not sure what to say, so I just nodded and let him keep talking.

"Please tell me what happened, I do know very much of what seems to be a grave situation." I wondered where to begin,

"When Toni and I got home from last night's gathering, her father and his friends from the Fellowship where waiting for her. They saw us here at the gathering last night while they were watching the nest. They took her away to some sort of rehabilitation center for people who affiliate with vampires. It sounds like it's a place where they brainwash people. They didn't say where it was."

He looked at me with distress, but not defeat.

The man dressed as a cowboy seemed to appear out of nowhere and whispered in Godric's ear. He nodded and the cowboy disappeared.

"It seems that Anders, Benjamin and Opal are on their way, among other local vampires. As for you, I want you to stay with one of us at all times. You are in danger at this point..."

I quickly interrupted him, "ME! Why me?!"

He gave me a few moments to calm down, "You saw them take her did you not?" I nodded, "They obviously saw you here last night. You are the enemy now, well it least in their eyes."

It was a quiet for a bit as I let the idea sink in. _Me? The enemy? A target for hate?_

Almost immediately after, other vampires started arriving and gathering around Godric. Anders, Benjamin, and Opal amongst them. Opal came over and hugged me.

"Emily, this must be such a shock! We are going to do everything that we can."

As soon as Godric opened his mouth, the room was utterly silent.

"We have a situation as most of you know and that is why I summoned you here. Toni, who many of you know has been taken by the Fellowship. This is because she is a friend to us and also a companion. We are going to do everything in our power to get her back."

At that exact moment, in walked the stern-faced Eric with his mischievous blond assistant. Godric stood up and excused himself.

He and Eric disappeared into what appeared to be a bedroom for a little over 15 minutes.

Godric returned with an expression of hope on his face and he looked around the room, his eyes soon fixed on me. He spoke calmly,

"We have located her and we are indeed going to bring her back if that is what she wishes. A group of you lead by me, will go."

Eric seemed to snap at this statement,

"Master, I do not think this is wise. For you to go amongst _them._ They are aware of your great importance here."

Godric looked at his creation, his dark masterpiece,

"Eric, my child, I am the oldest vampire here, I am also the strongest, but even if I was not, I would gladly risk my life for a devoted friend. Those seem to be quite rare these days."

Eric looked away in defeat and pretended to examine a near by sculpture.

]Anders spoke up, "what about me?"

Godric looked as if he has forgotten something,

"Ah yes, Anders and Opal, you shall stay here and watch over Emily."

I noticed that was the first time that he had ever called me Emily.

Anders looked absolutely enraged! "But Sheriff! She is my companion!"

He looked at Anders calmly,

"yes that is precisely why you must stay. You are a somewhat young vampire and lack self control, and your emotions overwhelm you at the moment."

Opals walked over and took his hand in an attempt to both calm and comfort him.

Godric stood up, "So it is settled, we are to leave immediately."

Eric led the group outside and Godric stood before me. All I could do was stare into the eyes of the ancient Man-boy.

"Emily, I know this is far from the ideal situation or setting for this but I was just wanted to thank you for your loyalty and your friendship."

He took my hand and kissed it once again. My eyes closed voluntarily at the feeling of his cold lips on my skin.

But before I even reopened my eyes, I felt the same cold lips pressed against mine.

My whole body froze and these was no room for thoughts in my mind amongst the shock. I felt his hand touch my hair, then he moved away, but not far away like I would have expected him to.

I could barely look at him at first, but I could feel his strong gaze fixed on me. I finally managed to look up and found no one standing there.

I ran outside in fear that he had thought I was ashamed, and everyone was gone. As I walked back into the house, I felt a tear drip down my cheek.

I heard Opal's voice, "Don't worry Emily. You've been chosen."


	8. Acting at it's Finest

I sat at the house pacing back and forth, waiting to hear any news. 2 hours went by, and I felt like was about to go utterly crazy.

Opal seemed so calm, but Anders was indeed on edge. Not only was a worried about their retrieval of Toni, but also what Opal has meant when she said that I was chosen.

I finally got the courage to walk over to her and speak.

"Opal, about what you said earlier…."

She cut me off there, "Yes, you have been chosen. I know, I know, it sounds like some sort of cult, but it is nothing like that. What I meant was that Godric chose you."

She stopped speaking as if she expected me to know what that meant.

"You see, Godric has never in his 2000 years of life, chosen a female companion, vampire or human. Him kissing you in such a way shows very obviously chosen you to be his companion. He must think very highly of you."

I sat down on the arm of the couch and pondered the concept of what she just said.

I told myself:_ once again things have gone beyond insane! I mean a 2000 year-old vampire as selected me to be his companion?!_ I was not quite sure why the position entailed, but I didn't want to ask Opal that in fear that I would make it sound like some sort of job.

Finally, right before sunrise, they group returned and Toni was with them. I ran straight to her and hugged her very tight. I soon let her go as I felt Anders speed right towards us. Anders literally picked her up and held her very very tight.

Opal rushed the story out of the group as the sun was soon to rise. No one spoke and everyone looked a bit sad. I looked at the cowboy and he looked as if he had let someone down greatly. Finally one of them spoke up.

"They captured Godric. He did not even fight them."

Opal spoke out, "And where was Eric to protect him?"

The cowboy spoke in a rather quiet tone, "Eric was called back to his sector, there was an emergency there."

My mind seemed to go blank for a bit. I was not exactly sure what to do or say. He has just been right in front of me only a few hours before.

He just introduced me into a new step of his life but then all of sudden…he was gone. Taken by the people I would trust the least in the world.

Opal looked at me, and then whispered in Ben's ear. They both walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulders. I asked myself if crying and moping would be the productive thing to do. I decided that it would not, so I spoke up instead.

"Sooo, who is going to tell Eric?"

Everyone in the rescue group looked horrified because they knew Eric would be beyond furious when he found out. Soon everyone began to leave for it was about to be sunrise. Anders didn't want to leave Toni's side, but she reassured him that she was safe.

The large house was empty and the only sign of life was Toni and I. For the first time since Toni and I had met, I wasn't sure what to say to her.

I looked at her in her Fellowship t-shirt and shorts, wondering what she had been through. She walked up to me and hugged me.

"Thank you so much Emily. If it hadn't been for you, I would probably still be there! Oh Em, it was so weird there! They did prayers over me and someone even mentioned some sort of exorcism!"

I was somehow not shocked by what she was telling me.

"Wow, I knew they were crazy, but I mean WOW!"

She smelled the jacket she was wearing and of course the owner of the jacket was Anders. I thought about how much they loved each other and asked myself if someone like Godric would ever be able capable of such a love.

Perhaps over the millenniums, that part of him was numbed. Toni's voice brought my train of that to a screeching halt.

"So what now? I mean I can't go home. My father will be there, and here isn't exactly safe since he knows that this is a nest."

I knew exactly where to send her

"Toni, I am sending back to San Diego! You can stay with Laurie and Ryan…they would be more than glad to have you."

She seemed amused by the idea and smile slowly began to appear across her face but then disappeared right away.

"Wait, what about you? You aren't coming back to San Diego with me?"

It was quiet for a moment as I was deciding whether or not I wanted to stay and wait for Godric. I shook my head slowly.

"No, I need to stay…I have some things I need to work out before I leave."

Toni didn't even bother asking what those things were and instead began planning her escape to the West.

We called Laurie and got her plane ticket arranged. I managed to get a flight out that evening. Toni didn't bother with clothes and was eager for night fall so she could tell Anders. We slept for the rest of the day and woke up to Anders standing over us.

Toni was hesitant in telling Anders about her trip. But she managed to get it out.

"Anders, it's not safe here, so I am going to stay with friends in San Diego."

Toni and I held our breath as we waited for him to react.

"I am glad that you are getting away. I will join you soon there and I will most definitely miss you while we are apart. But I'll drive you to the airport. I would rather not be here when Eric shows up."

Toni smiled and gave me a good bye hug. I was happy to see her get away safe, but the warm fuzzy feeling soon faded away when I realized that I would be the one that had to tell Eric. I sat down on the couch and attempted to act casual, but it just seemed impossible.

Eric arrived soon than I had hoped he would and of course his blonde lapdog had accompanied him. They both looked me up and down critically.

"Where is Godric?"

He asked me as if already knew the answer. I tried to answer him calmly

"Well he isn't here!"

The lapdog giggled and spoke in her snotty tone,

"Well that is quite obvious isn't it?? Where is he?"

I feared that the next words out of my mouth would be the cause of my death.

"He…..He….He was…..was taken. That is all I know."

Eric slammed hand down on the counter and cracked the marble countertop.

"TAKEN???"

All I could bring myself to do was nod and look straight into his gaze.

"Well since the sole reason that he was taken was because he went to rescue a human….you a human will help us find him and get him back."

At that moment I knew things were about to get even more insane than I had ever imagined.

"Me? What can I do?"

Eric began to speak to me as if I was a child

"You are going among them and find out. Your approach is not my concern."

The "dog" seemed amused by this and snickered in satisfaction.

"We are leaving now."

We got into his expensive sport's car and headed into the suburbs of Dallas. We stopped in front of Toni's house. I completely froze. Eric spoke sternly,

"Get out."

I decided that even attempting to dispute him was a fruitless endeavor. I just stepped out of the car and slowly walked to the front door.

I hesitantly rang the door bell and sure enough, Toni's father answered. I was expected to find an angry and suspicious man, but instead was a concerned and oddly caring one.

"Emily, I was worried! Where I have you been?"

I decided at that moment was my approach would be.

"Mr. Gallagher, I was looking for Toni! I was so worried about her! She never came home! So I went to find those terrible vampire friends of hers! They had her with them! But they refused to let me take her!"

His eyes got very big and his tone changed.

"Where is she??!!!"

I knew this was my only chance to see Godric

"They…they said I was only allowed to tell the head of the Fellowship and if I told anyone else….they would kill me! Please! Don't make! Please!"

He looked at my sympathetically,

"No no of course not. I was actually just on my way to a deacon's meeting, you can come and meet him yourself. Im sure he would love to hear your story."

I practically jumped on Mr. Gallagher and hugged him.

I went upstairs to change and walked right past Toni's parents room. I heard crying coming from the room and backed up. There was Mr. Gallagher sitting on the bed sobbing and holding a picture of Ben and Toni as children.

I boldly just walked right on and sat on the bed. She looked right at me and I took her hand. I looked straight in her eyes,

"Its going to be alright!"

I nodded and she seemed to understand somehow. The tears stopped as I stood up to leave. I gave her one last look and left.


End file.
